Rheinland's Redemption
by Hahukum Konn
Summary: The Nomad crisis is over. But in Rheinland, a new crisis looms as the Nomad withdrawal leaves the government in a state of disarray even as things superficially appear to be "back to normal". Can the Bundschuh set things right, or will they fail?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the trademarks or copyrights to anything in Freelancer. This is an unpaid work of fan fiction, and is a product of my appreciation of the complex political universe it created. Kudos to Digital Anvil for a great game!

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This fanfic was originally prompted by a small part in richard the pedantic's story, "War", where von Claussen discusses the takeover of Rheinland by the three major factions which have grievances against the government. However owing to the long time since I originally tried writing the fic and this rewrite, I'm going to consider this an independent spinoff and not necessarily tied to RTP's fic.

/\/\/\

Von Claussen rejoiced as he saw Edison Trent destroy the Nomads for good. As soon as the last Nomad got sucked into the vortex, he set his cruise engines on full, arcing away from the victorious group of people alongside whom he had fought. But his hurry was prompted by knowledge that as soon as the Nomad menace was vanquished, Rheinland would be in serious trouble.

The death of the Chancellor would not be taken well, and might well create a power vacuum that the Bundschuh and other groups could well take advantage of before the Red Hessians got the same idea.

Even assuming the vice-Chancellor could stabilize Rheinland long enough to assume the post of Chancellor until the next Reichstag elections, there was still the chance that there would be a political ferment which would allow the Bundschuh a crack at the Reichstag, as it was not yet illegal to simply support the Bundschuh's ideas.

And even if the Bundschuh didn't stand a chance, there was the Order, and von Claussen's commitment to ensuring no renewal of Nomad influence in the colonies.

All this went through von Claussen's mind in a few moments as he hurried out of the Dyson Sphere, then went through the alien Jump Gate whisking him back into the network of Omicron systems.

About 24 hours later, von Claussen was in the Stuttgart system, preparing to make contacts with certain factions in Rheinland. He also wanted to offer his services to the Bundschuh once again. It was ironic, he reflected, that he should be casting his lot with a group criminalized by the Rheinland government, not as a matter of necessity in a last-minute attempt to avert a Sirius-wide catastrophe, but to help salvage the nation he had once served.

However, the Bundschuh had held onto its ideals, even as the government it had once helped set up turned against it and returned to helping Daumann, Kruger and Republican Shipping make profits at the expense of the Rheinland workers. To add insult to injury, the Rheinland government knew it was just about bankrupt, and was simply printing the money it needed to keep itself going, driving down the value of the wages paid to honest, hard-working Rheinlanders and virtually handing out engraved invitations to the Rheinland police and military officers to engage in corrupt activities.

And printing money wasn't going to rebuild the Rheinland fleet, a fleet von Claussen would be proud to serve once again when things got cleaned up in Rheinland.

One battleship! What a joke! Even _Bretonia_ had three or four on regular patrol.

Von Claussen had also heard from his contacts in the Order (Trent included) that the Corsairs were just waiting for the right time to deal a serious blow to Rheinland, for what reason nobody knew, unless the Red Hessians were such an affront to the Corsairs that they wanted to wipe out anything to do with Rheinland too. Instability in Rheinland, unless halted right away, would provide exactly that "right time", and von Claussen devoutly did not want to see the Corsairs wreak destruction across Rheinland, battered a nation though it might be.

Von Claussen decided to stop first at Darmstadt, hidden in the Ostnebel of the Stuttgart System, to tip off the LWB that a revolt would be a good thing right about now, and then to take a side trip on to Hamburg after radioing his Unioner contact on a coded frequency.

/\/\/\

"Are you crazy?!"

Von Claussen sat in a hidden corner of the Darmstadt bar, watching the leader of the LWB, Hans Noske, gesticulate with his hands, as his florid face showed his incredulous reaction to von Claussen's bald suggestion that it was an opportune time to upset the balance of power in Rheinland and settle some old scores. Noske was clearly not in the best of shape, but he looked and acted like a farmer, and his obstinacy was a sorely needed driving force against the seemingly inexorable encroachment of Synth Foods into Rheinland.

Not that Noske wouldn't have loved to give a bloody nose to Synth Foods and the Rheinland government, but the LWB had never had the kind of popular support it needed to decisively get back Stuttgart. After all, even if "only" 60% of Stuttgart farms had been taken over by Synth Foods officially, the real figure was more like 80% and rising, from the way farmers were declaring bankruptcy left and right on Stuttgart.

Von Claussen replied, "Obviously not, Herr Noske. But we have limited time. I either need you in or out. The Bundschuh probably has enough popular sympathy to go to New Berlin on its own, but not the ships, people or weaponry. I have to go to Hamburg soon to meet with a Unioner representative."

Noske didn't give a damn about the industrial workers overly much, although he knew enough of them who'd gotten shafted by Daumann and Republican. Nevertheless... "How can you be so sure, Herr von Claussen? The news networks are full of the same old bilge about the tax proposal in the Reichstag and that the Chancellor is on vacation and can't be disturbed; the Vice-Chancellor even said as much. Nothing's changed even after that short war with Kusari and detention of their citizens!"

"What if I told you the Chancellor is dead?"

Noske could only stare, wide-eyed.

Von Claussen drove on: "I did not kill him, if that is what you're worried about. Nonetheless, while I cannot reveal the whole story, I can tell you that the recent troubles Rheinland faced and the short conflict with Kusari were a result of a... let us say, _derangement_ of the Chancellor. He was killed by someone I know, and it was this that saved Rheinland from a hopeless conflict which would have destroyed all four Houses. The LWB would not have been spared, I can assure you that!"

Noske scratched his chin and said, "Let's say that's all true. But without some kind of formal alliance, I'm not committing every man and woman in the LWB in an all-out war with the police and military."

Von Claussen sensed he had gotten as far as he could with Noske, and pushing any further would ruin any chances of allying with the LWB. He stood up, and as he did so, he said, "Herr Noske, I will contact you again when I have secured the Unioner and Bundschuh support. _Auf Wiedersehen_."

As he walked away, he could feel Noske's speculative gaze at his back.

/\/\/\

A very different meeting took place with the Unioner leader, after having been requested by von Claussen to meet near the Bering Jump Hole in Hamburg. On a secure, coded frequency, Karl Friedlander, a whipcord of a man with a thin, terse mustache, showed no sign of any reaction to the news of the Chancellor's death. His calm voice sounded somewhat tinny in von Claussen's shipboard speakers:

"Herr von Claussen, the Unioners have no quarrel with our brothers, the Bundschuh. We realize that it was not the present generation of members who failed to keep the government from falling back into the hands of the likes of Republican Shipping. But the relative lack of readiness on the part of the LWB concerns me. I could have a hundred fighters through this jump hole tomorrow, and on their way to New Berlin. But we need more than just a hundred ships. I remind you that in this very system the Rheinland fleet still has a battleship that could make mincemeat of all of us."

Von Claussen peered across the blackness at Friedlander's ship noting the clean lines of the Hawk the other man piloted, then looked back at his comm screen. "What you say is justified, Herr Friedlander. Nonetheless, I believe that if I can secure your support, the LWB will fall in, and I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever that the Bundschuh will leap at the opportunity to seize power once again. And keep in mind that my reputation still precedes me in the Rheinland fleet. We may find that the Military will support us, if we promise to stabilize the government and pay them in real money instead of the diluted _scheiss_ the government calls credits."

"Money is not so much a concern for us, my friend. We live out in the Bering system, after all; we simply steal what we need, and the Liberty Rogues bring better money from that House. But I know, I know – our friends in Rheinland must watch this happen to them. We will help."

"I will inform the LWB at once. I must now go to the Bundschuh." Even as he spoke, von Claussen was already setting the controls on his Valkyrie to make his way to the Frankfurt system and on to Bruchsal.

Friedlander's own ship turned back to the Bering Jump Hole. "_Auf Wiedersehen_, Herr von Claussen."

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Author Notes: This fic was originally written ten or eleven years ago, and then abandoned before I eventually took it down. I've decided to begin rewriting it, so after the first couple of chapters things will really diverge from the original, assuming anyone still remembers it, heh.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** This work of fan-fiction is not intended for personal profit. All characters utilized herein which are not creations of myself belong to Digital Anvil and Microsoft.

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_Two down, one to go_. Von Claussen had arranged to get word back to Noske after a chance encounter with an LWB sympathizer within the WVS at Holstein before moving on to Bruchsal. Ironically, persuading the Bundschuh might be harder than he'd implied to Noske and Friedlander, because Botzler was dead.

Botzler's former assistant, Greta Kerner, was a capable woman, but felt she lacked sufficient control over the organization to persuade all Bundschuh that now was the time for an all-out assault on the government, since she had been unprepared to assume Botzler's position so quickly.

Greta said as much as soon as von Claussen closed the door to her private office on Bruchsal - the office that once belonged to Botzler. She sat in the chair behind the desk and von Claussen took the one opposite.

Von Claussen said, "Would you have the Red Hessians at the gates of New Berlin? Would you have the Corsairs try to kick over the traces and pillage what is left of our great House? Conditions are ripe for something like this: the Chancellor's dead, the government nearly bankrupt. The time for us to strike is _now_!"

Greta sighed and rubbed her forehead. "I cannot find fault with your reasoning, Herr von Claussen, but…" She still seemed uncertain. "A war? An actual _war_? Against the combined might of Rheinland?"

Von Claussen took a different tack: "Fraulein, how long were you Botzler's assistant leader?"

"Well, three years now." Kerner frowned and peered at von Claussen.

"And in those three years, did Botzler ever once criticize your abilities, whether in private or in public?"

"No."

Von Claussen slapped his hand on Kerner's desk. "Then it's settled. The Bundschuh will accept you as their leader if you act like one! So come, we have a war to fight, do we not?"

A slow smile crossed Greta's face as she nodded and sat up straighter.

/\/\/\

On Darmstadt, Hans Noske had brooded for several hours over the possibility of a new revolution in Rheinland, sitting motionless in the chair in his office. Finally, he could stand it no more and went back to the bar. He sought out his deputy leader, a taciturn man named Franz. Just Franz. He never gave his last name, and nobody knew what it was. Years ago, one person had rumored that it started with an S, but that was so vague it could mean anything.

In the end, Noske didn't care. What he knew was that Franz had the organizational ability and skill in logistics to set up anything from a small raid on Synth Food transports to an all-out assault on Stuttgart - if the LWB had the equipment and the manpower; currently the LWB squadrons used Franz's battle plans when attacking Synth Food transports heading through trade lanes in the Stuttgart system. Of course, the LWB didn't have the ability to attack Stuttgart and take it back from Synth Foods, but that hadn't stopped Franz from drawing up plans against the day it might happen.

Noske also had no doubt that those attack plans could be adapted for a three-party assault on New Berlin.

Franz, coincidentally enough, was sitting in the same far corner as von Claussen had some hours before.

"Herr Noske." The other man nodded at Hans as he sipped at his drink.

"Franz. You know von Claussen was here earlier?"

"Yes. Rather hard to miss him with that uniform, you know."

"Hold on a second. I want a beer." Noske went to the bartender and got a tall _stein_ of beer. Sipping appreciatively at the foam, he returned to the table and continued. "Anyway, what he told me must be kept in the strictest of confidence. This information could be used by the wrong people."

Noske was thinking about the Red Hessians, and was pretty sure Franz was doing the same. While the LWB was allied with the Red Hessians, Noske knew as well as anyone that alliances can, and do, change with time and circumstances.

Franz nodded.

"The Chancellor is dead. Von Claussen thinks that the Vice-Chancellor will not be able to stabilize the government in time, and that we should strike while the iron is hot."

Franz stared, then let out a slow whistle. "Tall order! But let me guess. He wants us to throw in with the Unioners and the Bundschuh and combine forces for an attack on New Berlin." He shook his head. "The sheer audacity!"

Noske grunted and said, "That's about the size of it. Lunacy, if you ask me, but von Claussen is persuasive. I gave my support.. conditionally."

"Conditionally?"

"He has to inform me if the Unioners and Bundschuh are in. If not, we're not going to do a blasted thing."

"And why not, Hans? Meaning no offence, but it's not like the leader of the LWB to turn away from a chance to settle a score with Synth Foods."

Noske shook his head and stared into his beer. He muttered, "You know as well as I do that we don't have the ability, on our own, to attack even a private corporation's vessels and headquarters with complete victory for us, much less the Rheinland police and military." He looked up at Franz and continued, "Corrupt though they may be, they will still perceive us as a threat, and enough of them will line up with the government to squash us flat. I do not propose to fight a battle I cannot finish."

Noske realized that Franz could make or break this deal as much as he himself could. If Noske agreed to pitch in with the Unioners and Bundschuh, but Franz offered no logistical support, the LWB could write itself off as a serious partner in a new government.

Franz seemed to be leaning towards approval. He said, "How will we ensure that the news about the Chancellor doesn't leak out? We have to tell our people _something_, but we don't want them worried because Niemann's gone."

"We just won't tell them the part about the Chancellor. We're just going to announce that we're getting off our butts in this system and taking the fight to where we should be doing the most damage, and to wrap things up, anyone who breathes a word of what we're doing to the Red Hessians or the Rheinland fleet will find out the hard way what an air lock is for!"

Franz grinned. The die was cast, as far as he was concerned. He said, "Enough of this talking! Let's toast the LWB's new battle against the government that keeps Synth Foods in charge of Stuttgart!"

/\/\/\

Karl Friedlander, unlike Hans Noske, had no doubts, either about himself or what had to be done. He had been in, all the way, from the moment that his underling had informed him that von Claussen - the same von Claussen that was such a legend in the Rheinland fleet - wanted to discuss an important matter with him. That could only have meant one thing, in light of the recent instabilities in Rheinland and the short-lived dose of propaganda that the government had spread across the news nets. It meant that von Claussen had somehow had a hand in stopping the instability in the colonies, and needed help for whatever he had in mind.

Thus, the conversation with von Claussen had really been just a formality. He called his squadron leaders into his office, and gave short instructions to each. The result was that over the next few weeks, Unioner squadrons in groups of four or eight would move through the Bering Jump Hole over to Frankfurt and hook up with the Bundschuh at Bruchsal.

Of course, Friedlander was no fool, and he made sure that any Unioner who let slip the word about what was going to happen would find his or her ship unaccountably locked on a collision course for the _**Westfalen**_...

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Author Note: Up to now it's been pretty similar to the old fic, but after this we'll see some changes.


End file.
